Cigar-vending machine.



0. M. DODSON.

CIGAR VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21. 1905.

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Ink/r17 PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

0. M. DODSON. CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.21, 1905.

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No. 839,737. PATENTBD DEC. 25, 1906- G. M. DODSON.

CIGAR VENDING MAOHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21. 1905. I

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N0.. 839,737. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

G. M. DODSON.

CIGAR VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 11175.21. 1905.

V v v o J? J? THE NORRIS rcrsns co., wasnuvcrmv, m

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES M. DODSON, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF OF IOIVA.

DES MOINES, IOIVA, A CORPORATION CIGAR-VENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

To all 1071.07 it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. DODSON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Des Moines, Polk county, Iowa, have invented a new and useful Cigar- Vending Machine, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for holding, feeding, and delivering cigars.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine, one side of the casing being removed. Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine, the top of the casing being removed, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the machine opposite to Fig. 2, one side of thecasing being removed. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the machine, the front of the casing being removed. Figs. 6, 7, S, 9, 10, and 11 are detail views of various parts of the machine.

In the machine herein illustrated and described I employ a coin-controlled mechanism very similar to and in some respects identical with the mechanism described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 758,204, granted to me April 26, 1904, and I make no claim for the same in this connec tion.

In the construction of the machine as shown I employ a suitable support, such as a stand 10, on which is mounted a back plate 11, side plates 12 13, a front plate 14, a door 15, hinged to the forward margin of the side plate 13 and closing to the front plate, and a top plate 16. These members may be of any desired construction and may be ornamented or not to suit the taste of the maker or user. Ordinarily the door 15 would be locked to the front plate 14. The backplate, side plates, front plate, door, and top plate constitute a. casing adapted to contain and carry the cigar holding and vending mechanism and coin-controlled mechanism about to be described.

A suitable supporting-frame 17 is mounted in and supported by the casing and is adapted to support many of the various operating 1 parts, as hereinafter specifically set forth. 1 Rods 18 19 are mounted vertically within the casing and are fixed at their lower ends to 1 brackets 20, carried by the back plate 11, and at their upper ends to the frame 17. A cross-bar 21 is mounted for vertical adjustment on and connects the rods 18 19, and a plate 22 is fixed to and supported by the cross-bar. A cigar-holder 23 is mounted on the plate 22 when said plate is in its lowermost position in the casing and is raised manually by the plate and cross-bar 21 into a position in contiguity to the feeding mechanism for use. The holder 23 is provided with a cover 24, adapted to be turned backward and downward when the holder is inserted in the casin front, adapted to be turned downward and forward when the holder is inserted in the casing. The holder 23 is the cigar-box, in which the cigars are packed and stamped by the manufacturer thereof, and the cover 24 and section 25 are provided in the form shown to avoid mutilating the box in use and at the same time provide access thereto and delivery of cigars 25 therefrom. The cigars are packed in the holder 23 in cell series 25 as illustrated and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 772,503, granted to me October 18, 1904. A rod 26 is mounted in a horizontal position in the frame 17, and a toothed shelf 27 is fixed to and the teeth thereof project forward and upward from said rod. It is the function of the teeth or arms of the shelf 27 to receive and support a cigar in a cell temporarily, as shown in Fig. 8. A rod 1 28 is mounted for oscillation across the rear portion of the frame 17, parallel with the rod 26, and is yieldingly held in one position by a coil-spring 29, Fig. 3. A presser-frame 30 is fixed at its rear marginal portion to the rod 28 and, extending forward, is formed with teeth or fingers 3O on its forward margin, which fingers or teeth are above and opposed to the teeth of the shelf 27.

Lugs 31 are fixed to and depend from the front bar ,of the presser-frame 30, which lu 's I i l 1 form a spring-clamp to receive successive The presser-frame 30 yields upcigars.

are inclined on their lower faces and abruptIy v and a section 25 of its wardly to permit a cigar in a cell to pass from the rear upon the shelf 27. A wire keeper 32 is fixed to the rod 26 and engages the upper portion of the front of the holder 23. A shaft 33 is mounted for oscillation in bearings in the frame 17 and extends through the front plate 14 of the casing. Shearblades 34 35 are mounted attheir right ends on the shaft 33, the former keyed and the latter loose, and are adapted to open downward and upward from a horizontal plane directly in front of the line of demarcation between the shelf 27 and fingers A walking-beam 36 is mounted on a shaft 37, above and parallel with the shaft 33, and the extremities of the walking-beam are pivotally connected to the shear-blades 34 by rods 38 39, respectively. It is the function of the walking-beam and connecting-rods to oscillate the shear-blade 35 opposite to and simultaneously with the blade 34. A shaft 40 is mounted for oscillation transversely of the upper forward portion of the frame 17, and a awframe 41 is fixed at its upper end to and projects downward and forward from said shaft. Opposing jaws 42 43 are hinged to and extend ap roximately horizontally rearward from the ower portion of the j awframe 41, the normal position of the rear ends of said jaws being in front of and adjacent the shear-blades 34 35. The jaw 42 lies uppermost and is formed with fingers 42 adapted to reach over and engage above and with a cigar-cell, for which purpose said fingers alternate with the teeth 30 of the presserframe 30. A spring 44 normally tends to depress the jaw 42. The jaw 43 lies beneath the jaw 42 and is of skeleton form, simply a rectangular rim with a flange 43 extending upward at its rear end toward the extremities of the fingers 42', the interior width of said rim being greater than the length of a cigar in a cell. A spring 45 normally tends to lift the jaw 43. A pin 46 extends laterally from the lower end portion of the jaw-frame 41 and is engaged at times by a slotted arm 47, mounted for rotary oscillation with the rime mover hereinafter explained. A

anged plate 48 is mounted on a portion of the frame 17 adjacent one side of the jaws, and trigger-flanges v49 50 are pivoted on and project forward from the flanges of said plate. The trigger-fianges are in approximately converging planes and normally are pressed toward each other by a spring 51. Pins 52 53 are mounted on and extend laterally from the jaws 42 43 and are adapted to ride on the upper andvlower (divergingyafaces of the trigger-flanges and the flanges of the plate 48 and spread the jaws apart in the rearward movement of the jaw-frame 41, in order that said jaws may overreach a cigar in a cell on the shelf 27. A block 54 is mounted on one end portion of an arm 55, hinged to the rear portion of the frame 17 and springpressed toward said frame and passes freely through a notch in the frame at the rear of the flanged plate 48. The block 54 forms a continuation of the flanged plate 48 and causes the pins 52 53 to remain apart at times. A rod 56 is mounted for rectilinear reciprocation in the frame 17 above and transversely of the teeth or fingers 30 and at one end said rod engages a stud 55 on the arm 55. The rod 56 is attached at its opposite end to the upper end of a lever 57, Fig. 2, fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on the frame 17 and adapted to be engaged at its lower end by the anvil, as hereinafter explained. At times, therefore, the rod 56 pushes the arm 55 outward and removes the block 54 from the path of travel of the pins 53 53 and permits the jaws 42 43 to close on a cigar in a cell on the shelf 27 In a rearward movement next succeeding the jaws withdraw the cigar mentioned, being held in proximity to each other and in engagement with the cell by engagement of the pins 52 53 with the lower (converging) faces of the flanged plate 48 and trigger-flanges 49 50. The trigger fianges yield apart for the passage of the pins to normal position and close again to normal position to separate the pins (and jaws) in the next forward movement thereof. During the operation of withdrawing the cigar mentioned (the presser plate or frame yielding upwardly) another cigar in a cell is drawn from the holder 23 upon the shelf 27 and immediately thereafter the shear-blades close upon and sever the strip connecting the cells and release the cigar first mentioned, which falls through the jaw 43 into a hopper 58 and thence upon a shelf 59, mounted on the inner face of the door 15 and adjacent a slot 60 in said door. The prime mover here inbefore mentioned is a manually-operated coin-controlled mechanism about to be described. A hub 61 is mounted on and keyed or pinned to the outer end portion of the shaft 33, and a disk 62 is mounted loosely on said shaft between said hub and the front plate 14. A hand-crank 63 is provided with a cylindrical housing 64 at one end, which housing is mounted loosely on the front end of the shaft 33 and is secured against longitudinal movement by a nut 65. The housing 64 incloses the hub 61 and disk 62, and oppositely-arranged spring-pressed pawls 66 67 are pivoted on the inner face of said housing and oppositely engage lugs 68 69 on the rim of the hub. A coin-operated lever or anvil 70 is pivotally mounted at its upper end portion on the shaft 33 and depends loosely therefrom. A spring 71 is fixed at its lower end to a bracket 72 on the back plate 15, and the upper end portion of said spring bears against the lower end portion of the lever or anvil 70 and tends to retain the anvil in or return it to normal position.

A hub 73 is mounted rigidly on the shaft 33 and embraces the upper end portion of the anvil, and the slotted arm 47 forms a part of said hub. A coin seat or notch 74 is formed in the face of the anvil 70, and a latch 75, having a coin-retaining lug 76, is hinged to the frame 17 in front of the face of the anvil below said seat and is spring-held normally in such proximity to the anvil that a coin 77 may drop through a guide 78 into said seat and be retained therein temporarily by the lug. The face of the latch 75 is open and the anvil is openbehind the coin in the seat. A punch 79 is formed on the hub 73 and is adapted to enter the latch and engage the coin 77 on the rotation of the shaft in the di rection of the arrows a a through the medium of the pawl 66 engaging the lug 68 on the hub 61. Further movement of the hub 73 in the same direction results in great pressure being applied to the center of the coin 77. If the coin is of softer material than a five-cent nickel, it will bend in the seat and fail to operate the machine to the delivery of a cigar. If the coin is too thin, it will pass between the anvil and lug 76. If it is of iron or steel base, it will be withdrawn before it enters the guide 78 by a magnet 80. If it is of the proper thickness and has sufficient resistance to flexure, it will transfer the force of the punch 79 to and move the anvil rearward against the resilience of the spring 71 into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6. A pawl 81 is pivoted on the anvil 70 and rides at times on an arm of the latch 75. It is the function of the pawl 81 to engage and move the latch as the anvil returns to normal position and release the coin 77, which coin then drops into the bottom portion of the casing. The lower end portion of the anvil 70 moves in a forked guide and is provided with a pin 83, adapted to travel in a curved slot 84 in said guide. A trigger 85 is pivoted at one end on the guide 82, and a spring 86, connecting said trigger and guide, normally tends to lift the trigger, so that the pin 83 may engage a shoulder 87 on the trigger and temporarily prevent return of the anvil. Upward movement of the trigger is determined by a pin 88 on the guide. A rod 89 is pivotally connected at its lower end to the central portion of the trigger 85, and an arm 90 011 the hub 73 engages and depresses said rod at times. The arm 90 normally holds the rod 89 and trigger 85 depressed, as shown in Fig. 6. A coin-guide 91 is located above and guides the coin to the guide 78, and when the anvil is tilted in the operation of the machine the coin-guides are out of registration and a coin cannot pass from the first to the second guide. A coin-slot is formed in the top plate 16, and a latch 92 is pivoted on said plate and spring-pressed toward a position where it would cover said slot. The latch 92 is manually held away from the coin-slot and may be locked to it when holder is empty by a pin 93,

I mounted for vertical reciprocation and extending through the top plate 16. The pin 93 normally is held down by reason of the separation of the presser-frame 30 from the shelf 27 by a cigar between them, such operation being effected through a crank-arm 94, Fig. 2, on the shaft 28 and loosely connected to a lever 95, fulcrumed on the frame 17 and engaging said pin. When there is no cigar beneath the presser-frame, said frame will fall and in so doing depress the crank-arm 94, oscillate the lever 95, and lift the pin through the top plate in such position that it will obstruct the opening of the latch 92. There is an arm 96 on the same pivot with the latch 92 and arranged so that when the latch is open said arm will catch the coin in the slot and hold it temporarily in the influence of the magnet 80. When the latch is closed, the arm 96 moves laterally and ermits the coin, if not made of iron or stee to drop through the guide 91. Spurious coins attracted to the magnet are dropped into a trough 97 and led laterally and then dropped into the bottom portion of the casing.

hen the coin is of proper thickness and stiffness, it carries the anvil 7O rearward into contact with and oscillation of the lever 57, whereby the block 54 is removed from the path of travel of the jaws 42 43, thus permitting said jaws to close and grasp a cigar. The spring 71 returns the anvil 70 until the pin 83 thereon engages the shoulder 37 of the trigger. At this point in the operation the cigar first mentioned is withdrawn in the aws and is not yet separated from its successor, which has taken its place on the shelf 27. The coin also is still held in the seat 74 by the latch 75 and lug 76. Now the crank is operated manually to rotate the shaft in opposition to the arrows a a through the medium of the pawl 67 engaging the lug 69, and in such movement the arm 90 depresses the rod 89 and trigger 85 and releases the anvil. Thereupon the anvil moves suddenly toward normal position, the shear-blad es close suddenly and sever the cell-strip at the rear of the first cigar, and the pawl 81 engages the latch 75 and moves it away from the anvil to the release of the coin held thereby, and all the parts assume normal positions.

I claim as my invention 1. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a spring-actuated cigar-receiver, aws mounted for travel toward and from said receiver, and a shear mounted for operation between said jaws and receiver.

2. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a shelf, a presserframe arranged for movement in opposition to said shelf, cigar-receiving jaws mounted for movement toward and away from said shelf, and means for actuating said jaws.

3. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder, adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, a shelf, a presser-frame movably mounted in opposition to said shell a shear mounted for operation in front of said shelf and presser-frame, a jaw-frame mounted for oscillation, jaws mounted for oscillation on and travel with said frame toward and away from said shelf and presser-frame,

. whereby said jaws may engage and draw said cigar-cell series through the range of opera tion of said shear, and means for receiving a cigar from said jaws.

4. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a casing, a box in said casing adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, receiving mechanism adapted to receive and temporarily hold successive cigars in said cells, cutting mechanism, oscillating jawfeeding mechanism adapted to draw the cells from the receiving mechanism, an actuating mechanism, delivery means, and locking mechanism operated by the receiving mechanism.

5. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, a spring-clamp adapted to receive said series from the holder and temporarily hold the same, jaws mounted for rectilinear travel toward and away from said clamp, means for moving said jaws toward and from each other, cutting devices operating between said jaws and clamp and means for receiving successive cigars from said jaws.

6. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, a spring-clamp adapted to receive said series from the holder and temporarily hold the same, a shoulder on said clamp adapted to prevent return of the series to the holder, jaws mounted for rectilinear travel toward and away from said clamp, means for moving said jaws toward and away from each other, cutting devices operating between said jaws and clamp and means for receiving successive cigars from said jaws.

7. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, a spring-clamp adapted to receive said series from the holder and temporarily hold the same, a jaw-frame mounted for oscillation, jaws mounted on said frame and arranged for rectilinear travel therewith, toward and away from said clamp, means for moving said jaws toward and away from each other, cutting devices operating between said jaws and clamp and means for receiving successive cigars from said .jaws.

8. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, a spring-clamp adapted to receive said series from the holder and tem porarily hold the same, jaws mounted for rectilinear travel toward and away from said clamp, fixed guides, pins on said jaws adapted to engage said fixed guides for moving said jaws toward and away from each other, cutting devices operating between said jaws and clamp and means for receiving successive cigars from said jaws.

, 9. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, a spring-clamp adapted to receive said series from the holder and temporarily hold the same, jaws mounted for rectilinear travel toward and away from said clamp, fixed guides, trigger -flanges on said guides and spring-held in converging planes, pins on said jaws adapted to engage said fixed guides and trigger-flanges for moving said jaws toward and away from each other, cutting devices operating between said jaws and clamp and means for receiving successive'cigars from said jaws.

10. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, a spring-clamp adapted to receive said series from the holder and temporarily hold the same, jaws mounted for rectilinear travel toward and away from said clamp, fixed guides, trigger-flanges on said guides and spring-held in converging planes, pins on said jaws adapted to engage said fixed guides and trigger-flanges for moving said jaws toward and away from each other, a block located at end of said fixed guides opposite said trigger-flanges, means for moving said block laterally out of the path of travel of said pins, cutting devices operating between said jaws and clamp and means for receiving successive cigars from said jaws.

11. A cigar-vending machine, corn rising a holder adapted to contain cigar-eel series and cigars therein, a spring-clamp adapted to receive said series from the holder and temporarily hold the same, jaws mounted for rectilinear travel toward and away from said clamp, fixed guides, trigger-flanges on said guides and spring-held in converging planes, pins on said jaws adapted to engage said fixed guides and trigger-flanges for moving said jaws toward and away from each other, a block spring-held at end of said fixed guides opposite said triggerfianges, means for moving said block laterally out of the path of travel of said pins temporarily in order that said pins may enter between the fixed guides and permit the jaws to grasp a cigar, cutting devices operating between said jaws and clamp and means for receiving successive cigars from said jaws.

12. A cigar-vending machine, com rising a holder adapted to contain cigar-eel series and cigars therein, means for receiving said series step by step from the holder, a jawframe mounted for oscillation, a manuallyoperated motor, a cam on said motor adapted to engage and oscillate said jaw-frame, jaws on said frame and adapted to be moved thereby toward and away from said receiving means, means for moving the jaws relative to each other, cutting devices operating be- IIC tween said jaws and receiving means, and means for receiving successive cigars from said aws.

13. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, means for receiving said series step by step from the holder, a jawframe mounted for oscillation, jaws on said frame and adapted to be moved thereby toward and away from the receiving means, means for moving said jaws relative to each other, -a manually-operated motor, a blade thereon extending between the receiving means and jaws, a blade in opposition to the first blade, a walking-beam, rods connecting said walking-beam and blades whereby in the oscillation of the motor the blades are oppositely actuated, and means for receiving successive cigars from the jaws.

14. A cigar-vending machine, comprising a holder adapted to contain cigar-cell series and cigars therein, means for receiving said series step by step from the holder, a jawframe mounted for oscillation, a manuallyoperated motor, a cam on said motor adapted to engage and oscillate said jaw-frame, jaws on said frame and adapted to be moved thereby toward and away from said receiving means, means for moving said aws relative to each other, a blade on the motor extending between the receiving means and jaws, a blade in opposition thereto, a walking-beam, rods connecting said walkingbeam and blades whereby in the oscillation of the motor the blades are oppositely actuated and means for receiving successive cigars from the aws.

15. In a cigar-vending machine, traveling jaws, means for advancing said aws to grasp a cigar, shears opened in the advance of said jaws, means for retreating said jaws with a cigar, and means for closing said shears on retreat of said jaws.

16. In a cigar-vending machine, aws mounted for rectilinear travel and movable relative to each other, fixed guides engaged by said jaws, trigger-flanges on said guides and spring-held in converging planes, a stop spring-held in the path of travel of the engaging means on the jaws, and means for moving said block laterally at times.

17. In a cigar-vending machine, aws mounted for oscillation and spring-held in closed relations, teeth on one jaw, and a flange on the other jaw in opposition to sa d teeth.

18. In a cigar-vending machine, jaws mounted for oscillation, teeth on one jaw, and a flange on the other jaw in opposition to said teeth, the flanged jaw of skeleton form and of a width greater than the length of a cigar to be vended.

19. In a cigar-vending machine, a shelf, a presser-frame in opposition thereto, teeth on said resser-frame, a aw formed with teeth alternating with the teeth on the presserframe, and another jaw spring-held toward the first aw and formed with a flange in opposition to the teeth of the first jaw.

20. In a cigar-vending machine, a temporary receiver for a cigar-cell series, opposing jaws, means for swinging said jaws conjunctively toward and away from said receiver, and means for opening and closing said jaws respectively during the movements thereof toward and away from said receiver.

21. In a cigar-vending machine, a temporary receiver for a cigar-cell series, opposing jaws, means for swinging said jaws conjunctively toward and away from said receiver, means for opening and closing said jaws respectively during the movements thereof toward and away from said receiver, a shear located between said jaws and receiver, and levers arranged to open said shear as the jaws approach and close said shear as the jaws recede.

Signed by me at Des Moines, Iowa, this 16th day of August, 1905.

CHARLES M. DODSON.

l/Vitnesses:

S. 0. SWEET, L. L. LAIBROCK. 

